We analyze the effects of the ethnomycological knowledge depending on the age range of its users and how far their homes are from the forest areas. As a study model, the traditional mycological knowledge of San Pedro Tlalcuapan SPT, in Central Mexico was used. During 2017, 135 semi-structured interviews were conducted with people of three age ranges and living in three areas of the community located at different distances from the forest. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and analyses of non-metric multidimensional scaling, which were then applied to calculate two indices. The effect of age and origin of the individuals on bio-cultural relevance was assessed using multiple linear regression models.Fifty species of edible wild mushrooms were registered, those mentioned most often were of the Russuladelica complex., Amanita basii and Boletus aff. edulis. Ninety-five percent of the people interviewed consumed wild mushrooms on average two times a week, while 57% collected them. Wild mushrooms are mainly recognized for their food and ecological importance. Ordination and regression analyses show that people closest to the forest, as well as older people, are able to identify more of the wild mushrooms and have greater bio-cultural mushroom awareness. Results show that there is a risk that traditional knowledge about wild mushrooms will disappear, since it is only popular in a part of the community and only at some age ranges, indicating that there is a disconnect in the transfer of knowledge.
ResumenEl cambio en las condiciones ambientales y el grado de perturbación antropogénica afectan las comunidades de visitadores florales. Así, se identificó y caracterizó la comunidad de visitadores florales de Bursera copallifera, en Jolalpan, Puebla, México, considerando cambios en variables ambientales (temperatura, humedad y altitud) y factores asociados con un gradiente de perturbación. Se usó un índice multimétrico cuantitativo para medir la perturbación en 13 zonas de la localidad. Se seleccionaron 3 sitios en un gradiente de perturbación, donde se recolectaron los visitantes florales. Se registró un total de 66 especies, pertenecientes a 25 familias, repartidas en 5 órdenes. Los órdenes con mayor abundancia fueron Hymenoptera y Coleoptera. La temperatura y la humedad fueron significativamente diferentes entre horarios y sitios, y en conjunto con los factores de perturbación, afectaron la estructura y dinámica de la comunidad de visitadores florales. El sitio más perturbado fue significativamente menos diverso, pero más abundante en insectos. Apis mellifera fue la especie más abundante en el sitio más perturbado, aunque debido a la variación de altitud entre sitios, el efecto de la perturbación no fue claramente establecido. La gran diversidad de insectos encontrados mostraron la importancia de Bursera copallifera en este tipo de ecosistemas.
There is scarce information available about how peasants recognize Agave landraces. This study aims to identify the agave species and landraces used for “pulque” production and analyze their morphological variability in a Nahualt community, San Pedro Tlacuapan (SPT), Tlaxcala, Mexico. To this end, we used traditional knowledge and conventional statistical methods. Semi-structured interviews were administered; from these, the frequency of mentions, lexical marking, and perception about each landrace were evaluated. A total of 36 morphological vegetative characters were measured in the main landraces, and ordination analyses (PCA) were performed. SPT is home to 8 landraces of Agave americana and Agave salmiana subsp. salmiana. “Manso” was the most frequently mentioned landrace, and 5 qualitative characters used by local experts to identify landraces were observed. One morphological cluster was associated with each landrace analyzed, and the variables characterizing them are rosette size, leaf shape, number of leaves, and tooth shape. The information about agave diversity from local experts can be integrated into measurements of morphological diversity through conventional statistical methods.
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